What is the meaning of Judges 11:4? some time later • The narrator marks a pause, reminding us that God’s plans unfold on His timetable, not ours (Acts 1:7). • The gap between chapter 10’s distress call and Jephthah’s rise underscores the patience often required before deliverance appears (Judges 10:15-16). • Similar time-markers show God at work behind the scenes—“But when the fullness of time had come” (Galatians 4:4) illustrates the same pattern. when the Ammonites • These foes trace back to Lot’s younger son, Ben-Ammi (Genesis 19:38). Their longstanding tension with Israel reflects the consequences of past choices. • God had once told Israel not to seize Ammonite land (Deuteronomy 2:19), yet here Ammon presses past its borders, testing divine boundaries. • Repeated Ammonite aggression (Judges 10:8-9; 1 Samuel 11:1) shows how old antagonists can resurface when a nation drifts from covenant faithfulness. fought against Israel • The conflict is literal battle, yet also God’s corrective hand: “In His burning anger against Israel, He sold them into the hands of their enemies” (Judges 2:14). • Warfare exposes Israel’s inability to save itself, paving the way for the Spirit-empowered deliverer Jephthah (Judges 11:29). • Scripture often pairs external assault with a call to renewed dependence on the Lord (Deuteronomy 28:25; Psalm 44:9). summary Judges 11:4 signals more than another skirmish; it is God’s sovereignly timed setup for rescue. A familiar enemy crosses the line, forcing Israel to look beyond human strength to the Deliverer God will raise up. The verse reminds us that delays, adversaries, and battles all lie under the steady hand of the Lord who keeps His covenant and advances His redemptive plan. |
    |